Kahiya tells Minister Mushowe a few home truths: government is arresting journalists "to silence them".

The pressure of the worsening economic meltdown is a reality and Mugabe and his Zanu PF regime are now finding it increasing difficult pretend they are not feeling the pressure. They are feeling it now more than ever.

For the last two and half years, since the rigged July 2013 elections, the regime has done its best to convince everyone that its $27 billion ZimAsset recovery plan will revive the economy. The regime had no money to pay for the plan and was hoping to get donors to fund the plan. Not ever Mugabe’s “all-weather friend”, the Chinese, would bankroll the hare-brain plan. By the end 2015 with nothing in the ZimAsset begging bowl other than post-dated cheques from the Chinese and Russians, there was no hiding it ZimAsset is well and truly dead!

The Zimbabwe economy is in serious trouble already with unemployment a nauseating 90% plus, government’s revenue base has been depleted so much it failing to pay civil servant wages let alone pay for all the other things, etc. Worse still with ZimAsset dead and no other plan in place to revive the economy there is therefore only one way for the economy to go, to slid deeper and deeper into the abyss. The economic situation is intolerable already the prospect of it sinking even deeper is simply unthinkable; the situation is socially and politically unsustainable.

The logical response for Mugabe and his Zanu PF regime to the increasing pressure from the worsening economic situation is to accept the regime has failed, implement the democratic reforms and hold free, fair and credible elections. Only a democratically elected government will have the mandate and political will to implement the tough economic policies to revive the economy. And such a government will also have the trust and respect of donors and investors; the country needs their help to kick start the economy.

Instead of doing the logical and right thing Zanu PF, in its typical tyrannical tradition, is responding to the pressure of the worsening economic meltdown by going into overdrive with its brutal oppression. The arrests of the Newsday journalists is typical Zanu PF tactic of finding a scapegoat, what better scapegoat than the bearer of the unpalatable truths, and descend on him like a tonne of bricks.

"We should be careful when reporting on national security" said Information Minister Mushowe.
"I believe in freedom of the press. I do not believe in freedom to destroy our country and  our national interest."

Nonsense, how does reporting that the CIOs were paid their Christmas bonus threaten national security?

"Government  has made it clear that it would like to arrest journalists as weapon of choice to silence them,"  AMH Managing Director Vincent Kahiya told the self-righteous minister.

Zanu PF is like a scorpion overwhelmed by army ants, the economic meltdown, snapping its claws and stinging anyone and everyone except the ants!

Minister Mushowe must remember that he will not always be a Minister; the economic meltdown is going to end with regime change. One should be careful of how the treat others whilst they are in high office because they are bound to meet those people again on the way down!